


Ecbatana's Battle

by Aamu16



Category: Arslan Senki | Heroic Legend of Arslan, 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Historical, Ambiguity, Angst with a Happy Ending, Grand Vizier!Oda, Historical References, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, King!Dazai, Magical Realism, Michizou Dies an Heroic death, Multi, Oda Sakunosuke Lives (Bungou Stray Dogs), Persian Empire, Poor Gin, Prince!Akutagawa, Prince!Atsushi, Princess!Gin, Queen!Chuuya, This is what happens when I get inspired by other fucking series, because Chuuya is the queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 03:28:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13472754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aamu16/pseuds/Aamu16
Summary: Basically a crossover between Arslan Senki and Bungou stray dogs..Chuuya has come out because he was sick of that archbishop yelling at the top of his lungs; if he gets his way he will torture that beast himself ‘til it begs to be killed..“PEOPLE OF ECBATANA, SHOOT ME! IF I CAN’T BE SAVED AT LEAST I PREFER TO DIE BY A PERSIAN ARROW THAN BEEN TORTURED TO DEATH BY LUSITANIAN RATS!”.(Do you people remember ep 5 of the first season of Arslan Senki? That's the one to blame for this)





	Ecbatana's Battle

Ecbatana’s wall; year 320, autumn.

“His Majesty, the queen!” Someone announces as the redhead climbs the stairs to reach the great wall which protects his city, Ecbatana, the pearl of Persian Empire.

Chuuya is done with waiting and hiding, no matter what his ladies in waiting say, nor the guards, he has been a fucking marzban! He could handle himself in a battle for Mithra’s sake! The soldiers part and let him through, even dressed like a pretty little thing most of them know him. Higuchi and Gin trail after him like shadows, and while he trusts Gin with his life, Higuchi is still a newbie so he makes sure that she stays near him all the time.

Chuuya has come out because he was sick of that archbishop yelling at the top of his lungs; if he gets his way he will torture that beast himself ‘til it begs to be killed.

.

Meanwhile, outside of the walls, Michizou tries to understand the sudden silence of his comrades; but tied up to a post, covered in blood and half beat to death there’s not much that he can do to find out. His wrists hurt, his ankles hurt, his arms, his legs, his chest, his head… every single part of his body hurts, even his throat is hoarse.

But _‘Just one more time, Mithra-sama’_ he thinks and he’s silent while that beast that calls himself archbishop of whatever god he preaches about beats him ‘til his staff breaks. He feels like the bastard has broken his ribs —which were already cracked—. He takes a deep breath and _it hurts like Hell_ —he feels the bone piercing a lung and prays for a miracle so he doesn’t choke with his own blood before he has said all he that wanted to—, but he has to, so his wish will be granted.

“PEOPLE OF ECBATANA, SHOOT ME! IF I CAN’T BE SAVED AT LEAST I PREFER TO DIE BY A PERSIAN ARROW THAN BEEN TORTURED TO DEATH BY LUSITANIAN RATS!”

Michizou doesn’t know, as he’s being beaten again by the two soldiers that had come with that lunatic, that his plead has awakened a monster.

.

When Chuuya hears Michizou’s voice at first he’s confused because he can’t remember the sweet little boy who got flushed every time he praised him, ever shouting like that; no matter how angry he was, no matter who he was angry with.

Then the message registers in his mind as Gin starts trembling like a leaf at his right, surprisingly, Higuchi is the calmer out of the three of them —it probably has to do with his father and brother dying to those rats’ hands—.

He’s going to have his way with that fucking archbishop sooner or later, but he’s going to.

“Higuchi, bring my bow and arrows, _now_.” Chuuya knows that Michizou can’t be saved; it would be suicide to get out of the walls with how little army is left in the capital. But Chuuya is not going to let Michizou die like this, not like a dog, he’ll use the boy’s life to protect this city. “Gin, chant with me.” The spell is simple enough, and the cost will be paid with Michizou’s blood.

The marzban’s fiancée nods, because she knows Chuuya, —while Ryuu has Dazai, Gin has Chuuya; people used to laugh and say that she was the Queen’s dog, now people know that it’s suicide tell the princess anything of the likes—.

Gin’s voice trembles where it used to be firm, as her frame shakes with anticipated grief and rage, they are going to make Hell rain upon Lusitania. They just have to wait for Dazai to come back —and why did they have to attack just when the Sha of Persia was helping out in another country’s affairs—. Gin knows the answer and knows that Chuuya is making himself the bait to that treacherous rat, Gin has her knifes ready to kill them. But they are going to torture them first, she will make them regret the day they thought they could hurt her family and get away with murder.

They are going to pay in blood.

.

“MARZBAN TACHIHARA MICHIZOU!” Chuuya-san yells, he has his bow in his left hand and a quiver strapped to his hips, the white dress flutters slightly in the wind. He looks like one of the goddesses of the temple, beautiful and fierce, hair as fire and eyes like the sea. Michizou couldn’t have asked for a better executioner, except, maybe, Gin. “DO YOU MAINTAIN YOUR OATH TO PROTECT THIS CITY AND OUR PEOPLE?!”

“YES!”

“THEN I WILL MAKE USE OF YOUR LIFE TO PROTECT THEM!” Chuuya-san’s words make him cry, tears of happiness trail down his cheeks, and he smiles, grateful. Even beaten up like a dog, after he has been stripped of his dignity and pride, of his cape and sword, of his titles and men; Michizou will be able to keep his promises. He will be able to protect Gin, to protect Chuuya-san, to protect the people inside those walls… by losing a life that he would have lost anyway. “I’m proud of you.” Chuuya-san mouthed, and Michizou’s tears doubled as his smile oozed pride.

“Your words are too kind for me,” He said back, the crazed archbishop was laughing anyway. His words were for his queen alone. “My queen.”

The last thing the Marzban Tachihara Michizou sees the sky.

The last thing the Heir of the Tachihara household thinks about is that his Sha is right; the queen looks the most beautiful in the battlefield, with fire and steel in his eyes and deadly grace.

The last thing that Tachihara Michizou says is the name of his fiancée, maybe trying to say goodbye and ‘I love you’ and ‘Sorry’ and a million more things with a single word.

The last thing the Persian soldier feels is a wave of energy and magic that knocks down the Lusitanian army.

The expression that has Chuuya grit his teeth and making Gin want to cry now more than ever is the smile in her —now dead— fiancé’s face.

.

The spell that Chuuya and Gin have cast upon the city is simple, they have cast a triple barrier that is at the same time a shield and a sword. One would think that in fact is a difficult thing to do, but it was as simple as asking in the right language to Mithra, god of oaths —and light, covenant, truth, harvest, waters…—.

But it’s needed a soul in return, the highest price to pay is one own life, the better next is a soul that has offered itself and has made an oath to protect, such a barrier will live far longer than the receiver of the marks that are proofs of the covenant lives. The receptor this time is Chuuya and if they kill him it will be a question of time to take the city, or so they will make the Court believe.

The Court knows of this, so the mole will know too, and they will try to kill Chuuya in his sleep so they will be recognized.

Fun fact about the barriers: they don’t let any magic enter either. It is fun to see the dark magic caster dumbfounded when he can’t enter the semi-transparent barrier, not by earth, not by air, not even going through the underground. And Chuuya is having so much fun that his sadistic smile seems to be permanent now.

.

India, year 320, autumn.

“Oya? What’s the matter Atsushi-kun? You’re out of breath.” The Sha tells him with little concern to none, Kyoka is finally on the throne and Kouyou-nee is by her side as her most trusted advisor. Kouyou-nee will never do anything that could harm Chuuya in any way. They were having a feast to celebrate, and Dazai wants to take some of this vine to Chuuya because he knows that his petit queen loves vine.

“Dazai-san! The Lusitanian army is at Ecbatana’s doors!” Atsushi Dazai is the second prince of Persia, he has a soft heart and a naivety that it’s endearing at times, but like his queen, he’s strong like no-one else is, just second to Chuuya. Dazai likes to think that, someday, Ryuu and Atsushi will get along and they will be as fearsome as he once was in battlefield along with Chuuya.

Ryuu is running towards them with a falcon in his hands, Chuuya’s hawk.

Dazai’s eyes turn magenta and any and all cheerfulness that could have been there now buried under a thick cape of ice. No light to be found in them and Ryuu lets the hawk perch on his Sha’s shoulders as he carries on to his room.

Atsushi and Ryuu order the army to be ready for tomorrow at dawn, their Sha will go back alone if he has to, and they all know it. No one wants to think in the Queen's fury if such a thing were to happen again —but what no one says is that they’re more terrified at the thought of finding their queen’s head at Ecbatana’s doors—.

The new queen of India says that she will repay her debt by letting them take a thousand of her troops —and the girl still blushes in shame for not being able to give more away—.

.

Peshawar, year 320, autumn.

“Dazai?” Oda asks, finding odd that his friend is here. He has an empire to run after all.

“Odasaku, I need your soldiers.” And with that, the older redhead knows that something has happened to the queen.

“Tell me the details.” This is one of the things that Dazai likes the most about Oda; he’s always there for him.

“Well…” The Sha and the Marzban talk for hours, ‘til the day turns night and the night turns day again; they repeat this cycle at least three times and —finally— goes with a _flawless_ plan.

But what Odasaku doesn’t know is that what Dazai is planning to do with the captives would make him consider his Sha _no longer human_ , but a demon from the pits of Hell which has come to punish Persia’s enemies.

.

Ecbatana, year 320, winter.

It’s still too early to call it winter, but the cold winds from the north are coming and his people’s needs are already difficult to satisfy. Chuuya needs not only to catch —and kill— a mole but to ensure his people’s safety.

“It’s a good thing that I convinced Dazai to abolish slavery.” He muses as Gin and Higuchi try to help him think about a good strategy. The people in the city would have come to kill him already otherwise, as the idiot out there tried to call to his side the ‘slaves’. But there is no slave to call out, as, by law, the slaves have been released and now they had servants, but no slaves. Even if it had been a difficult progress to adapt at the beginning, they had finally come into terms with it; then they realized that depending on the conditions written in the contract it was almost like having a slave again —they are working on that—.

“My queen, how about using the tunnels?” Higuchi asks, calling Chuuya’s attention.

“No good, the mole would alert them and I would have to close those too. Regardless of who is left behind.” The blond chews her lip and looks at the map again. “For now use the food in the palace, the last thing we need is a riot, no matter how well justified it is.”

Chuuya knows that the nobles won’t like it, but he’s sure that he prefers confronting the nobles than his people trying to kill them all and opening the doors.

Chuuya wonders where in hell his husband is right now, he sent his hawk and it hasn’t returned yet… Chuuya hopes they’re all okay.

The Queen of the Persian Empire prays to all the gods he knows that the Sha and the army come back before it’s too late. After all, that’s all he can do right now, pray and wait… what a frightening thing to do, really.

.

The outskirts of Ecbatana, year 320, winter.

Dazai and Odasaku will be the decoy; after all, what’s juicier than the Sha himself and the new Grand Vizier? They are commanding Peshawar’s and India’s forces, while the princes are left to command the royal army.

Dazai hopes that Chuuya understands, as he always does, that this is _Toads and shame_.

.

Ecbatana’s royal palace, year 320, winter.

“Finally in my hands, you little pest.” Chuuya has the little mole he has been searching for weeks pinned to the floor. The rat had disguised as a cook tried to poison Chuuya’s drink; too bad that the redheaded had developed a certain immunity to poison.

Chuuya snapped his arms and then destroyed his kneecaps. The screams filled the throne room, and no man dared to move a single millimeter, some having forgotten how much of a sadistic bastard their queen could be.

Gin was there in a second, panting hard because Pushkin has tried to slice her throat with a kitchen knife, the princess doesn’t know what is she more furious about: the fact that this revolting thing has tried to kill her or that he has tried to do it with _a fucking kitchen knife_?

“Gin, make sure this fucker can’t move _ever again_.” Chuuya’s smile is downright terrifying, and the rat screeches like the filthy little coward he is. “Oh, but try to keep it alive. I’m going to enjoy myself _thoroughly_ with him and that archbishop. I’m sure Dazai will be happy to help.”

Gin’s eyes say everything her mouth doesn’t and Chuuya’s smile widens just a little.

“Oh, don’t you worry. You can have the first turn.”

.

Outside Ecbatana’s walls, year 320, winter.

Chuuya knows _Toads and shame_ when he sees it, and can’t help but feel angry with that bastard that isn’t considerate enough to warn him about his return, but he also feels his chest swell with pride at the trust his Sha has on him —because Chuuya can still remember a time when he didn’t—.

With quick orders and rash movements he readies what’s left of the army, and to his surprise there are people who have taken the first thing they have thought they can use as a weapon and have come to the castle’s doors, asking to join. For a second Chuuya thinks it’s a riot.

“We will fight, you have given us food and shelter; you have protected us and our families. You have protected our city at the cost of your son-in-law’s life. Now we want to return the favor and show those Lusitanian dogs why the world fears us.” The spokesperson tells Chuuya, who is clothed in an armor that he hasn’t used in years.

“Goddamn, I have never felt as proud of you people as I do now.” Chuuya doesn’t know it but his praise is passed from citizen to citizen and they glow with it.

The queen orders to give them swords, shields, spears, anything the can wield and, when the Lusitanian army is distracted by the Sha and Grand Vizier together with the soldiers that had come from Peshawar and India, they attack.

The enemy fights well, and they seem to have predicted something like this happening, but they don’t count with the second wave led to the battle by the princes, nor the women firing arrows from inside the barrier that burns them like bugs if they get to close.

Chuuya maintains the barrier and controls what enters and what doesn’t, but Gin is the one who allows _leaving_. And when they win, the victory is glorious.

.

It is called ‘ _Ecbatana’s battle_ ’ and every child and citizen of Persia knows about it. Of the Sha who came to rescue them, of the Grand Vizier who helped them, of the Queen who reigned and led the people to the battle, of the Princess who deemed any woman with a good pair of arms and determination to protect worthy of fighting, of the two Princes that finally overwhelmed the enemy. And of course, they know of the young Marzban who gave up his life to create an impenetrable shield that has been protecting them ever since them; it’s the living proof of that battle, of people, no matter is soldier or trader, noble or peasant, man or woman, who came together as Persians to fight off the enemy.

Um? What happened to the mole and the insane archbishop? Well, no-one knows, but some say that their screams can still be heard if you pass by the cells where they spent their last days.


End file.
